How to Transition to a Macrobiotic Diet

Transitioning to macrobiotic eating isn't like going on a diet, during which you change the way you eat in order to lose weight. Macrobiotic eating includes a philosophy that food is the foundation of health and happiness. Like the Greek meaning of "macrobiotic," or "big view of life," macrobiotic living understands that eating does more than satisfy our hunger. While the health benefits for this way of eating have a long history, you should slowly transition your eating habits when adopting a macrobiotic diet. You need to ween your body from the foods you think you need. Read on to learn how.

Things You'll Need

• New food and seasonings (see Resources for a beginning shopping list)

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Instructions

How to Transition to a Macrobiotic Diet

• 1

  Eat more whole grains, like brown rice, millet, oats, and whole wheat. Macrobiotic eating suggests that they should make up 40 to 60 percent of your daily calories. Many of the foods you may be used to eating regularly should only be eaten sparingly, if at all, including red meat, poultry, coffee, white sugar, milk, butter, ice cream, and popcorn. (For a complete list, consult the Macrobiotic Guide website in the Resources below). Rather than cut out everything immediately, slowly reduce the amount you eat of these foods as well as the frequency with which you eat them.

• 2

  Adopt some of the macrobiotic principles about digestion before you fully transition your daily diet. For example, for macrobiotic eaters, digestion begins in the mouth. While some recommend chewing each bite 100 times, you don't have to count or chew so much to concentrate on how your food tastes. As you continue chewing, your saliva is starting to break down the food in your mouth and making it easier on your stomach. Typically, we swallow when the saliva builds up in our mouth; but we could--and should--chew the food we're eating more. Try chewing your food like you suck on a cough drop or a piece of hard candy. You hold it with your tongue while you swallow. Do this with your food until it is sufficiently chewed so that your stomach doesn't have to work so hard to break it down.

• 3

  Start thinking about food the way macrobiotics do as you transition. They categorize it into "principle foods," or foods that sustain us, like whole grains, vegetables, and beans, and "supplemental foods," or "whatever you want" in small amounts. As you change the way you eat, your "whatever you want" amount should become smaller, not only because it is better for you but because your tastes will change. You should never deny yourself something you crave; but you don't need to eat that much to satisfy your hunger, either. If, for example, you're craving chocolate, find the best quality you can, and thoroughly enjoy a couple bites. Concentrate on how it tastes as you chew.

• 4

  Change the way you cook your food. Macrobiotic eating includes considering how the way you prepare your food affects it. The best way to warm food is with a flame, preferably by burning wood; but a gas stove is also good. Do not prepare your food with an electric stove or a microwave. The heat from a flame cooks slowly and brings out food's flavor. Electricity, particularly the kind from microwaves, introduces chaotic energy into your food as it heats it.